Forgive the Field of Dreams reference, but at least we can’t be accused of siphoning readers away from the primary site of today’s discussion.
This is our fourth time visiting the blog Preacher Pollard but our first time with Dale Pollard. This is one of those topics that deals with the context and background of the life of the incarnate Christ. Click through (on the title below) to read more from Dale, Neal and others.
“Was Jesus Really A Carpenter?”
Dale Pollard
- “Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, brother of James, Joses, and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us? And they took offense at Him. Then Jesus said ‘a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown among relatives and those of his household.” – Mark 6:4
- “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenters son?” – Matthew 13:54
- Was Jesus a carpenter and were these fair questions to ask Him?
Let’s examine FOUR quick factors:
Factor 1 – LOCATION: Nazareth was located 3 miles from Sepphoris which at the time was developing quickly as part of Herod Antipas beautification project. It would eventually be known as “The Jewel Of All Galilee.” Jesus would have witnessed and perhaps helped his father cut stone in the quarry that was half way between Nazareth and the developing city.
Factor 2 – DEMAND – In the days of Jesus there weren’t many trees in the area, and there still aren’t many today. To try and make a living working with a material that wasn’t readily available or even used much would be difficult.
Factor 3 LANGUAGE – “Tekton” simply means “builder” The Messiah was a handyman, and the spiritual connections in your mind may already be forming.
Factor 4 – SCRIPTURE – Luke 20:17ff – Jesus tells the parable about the wicked tenants, after Jesus is questioned about His authority in the temple by the scribes/chief priests, He looks at them and says “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” quoting from Psalm 118.
Again quoted by Peter as he defends himself in front of religious leaders in Acts 4 “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you the builders.” It was a reference to David’s lineage to the Messiah and it would have been familiar to Jewish stone builders.
So with this in mind, let’s revisit the questions asked by those in Jesus’ hometown…
- Where did this man get this wisdom?
A. Their perspective: “You’re the son of a common builder. He didn’t teach you these things, he taught you to build.”
B. The reality: It wasn’t wisdom from Joseph, it was His heavenly fathers wisdom. But Joseph, no matter how talented he was in his craft, did not teach Him to build…
1. A ship that would carry Christians safely into eternity, he may have taught Jesus to work with stones, but he no idea that on a rock He’d build His church.
2. He did not teach Him to build a home that would last for all eternity, but that’s what Jesus is building now!
3. He didn’t teach Him to build a walkway that would bridge the gap of separation between God and man, but He did.
2. Where did He get these miraculous abilities?
A. Their perspective: “You’re the son of a common builder. You’re performing things with your hands that the hands of a common builder can’t perform!”
B. The reality: Jesus is the master builder. The only one that could claim to build things out of the very stones and pieces of wood He spoke into existence.
What does all this mean?
1. In the hands of the Master builder, you can be something better.
2. In the hands of the master builder, you can be somewhere better.
3. If you’re broken, you can be fixed. If you’re not a child of God, your life is broken.
4. You can be something better than you are. Your imperfections can be made perfect through the blood of Christ.
5. You can be somewhere better. You can be In good standing with the God above. You could be In a loving family bound for glory— the home built by God.
New Insights into Zacchaeus
Tags: Bible and anthropology, Bible background, Bible commentary, Bible in its context, Bible interpretation, Gary M. Burge, hermeneutics, life of Christ, New Testament, teachings of Jesus
With Gary Burge’s voice audibly sounding in my head as I read the book — an advantage to having watched him teach on video — I thoroughly enjoyed his take on five specific encounters Jesus has with:
In the case of Zacchaeus, I once again found myself in the position of having to potentially un-learn something I had been taught from infancy in Sunday School. Surely anyone who has an encounter is immediately changed, right? Maybe not so much in this case. If the interpretation here is to be considered, then Zacchaeus doesn’t have so much of a before-and-after transformation; rather, Jesus is affirming the person who Zacchaeus has always been, and the “salvation” that has come to “this house” refers more to the saving of Zacchaeus’ reputation in the wider community.
I always thought that Zacchaeus’ speech is a pledge or promise of something he is about to do to make things right, however…
This approach is entirely new to me. And the above excerpt is just a small portion of the insights into this story. He then goes on to discuss the implications of both “Salvation has come to this house;” and that Zacchaeus is a “son of Abraham.”
I’m not saying that this interpretation precludes anything else that you’ve been able to derive from the story. The scriptures are rich in depth. I simply offer this to you as a possibility that may be outside how you originally heard and processed this story.
Other books in this series include: The Bible and the Land, Finding the Lost Images of the Desert, Jesus and the Jewish Festivals, Jesus the Middle Eastern Storyteller, and Finding the Lost Images of God.